William J. "Bill" Bonk, a University of Hawai'i-Hilo professor emeritus and combat veteran who devoted his life to working for peace after World War II, died Nov. 25. He was 84.

A longtime resident of Kamuela on the Big Island, Bonk earned his master's and bachelor's degrees in anthropology at the University of Hawai'i and worked at the Bishop Museum with renowned anthropologists Kenneth Emory and Yoshi Sinoto before moving to UH-Hilo.

Bonk's academic accomplishments include research done at South Point on the Big Island, which proved that humans arrived in the Islands hundreds of years earlier than previously thought; creating detailed maps of the hundreds of archaeological sites on the Big Island, and helping to get the Hawaiian studies program started by bringing in "Auntie" Edith Kanaka'ole.

When he was not teaching and doing research, Bonk worked within the Democratic Party to keep the party true to its progressive ideals, family members said. He championed issues ranging from Native Hawaiian rights to historical preservation and union organizing, and to stopping the Vietnam War, according to his family.

In the 1990s, Bonk switched from the Democratic Party to the Green Party. The last years of his life were dedicated to his Buddhist studies, which had begun following his exposure to Japanese culture during World War II.

Survivors include his wife, Fumie; sons, Seizen and Ken; daughter, Keiko; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Service will be at noon Saturday at Honokaa Hongwanji Mission, 45-5016 Plumeria St. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers contributions to the Hawai'i People's Fund, 949 Kapi'olani Blvd., Suite 100, Honolulu, HI 96814, for the William Bonk Peace Scholarship Fund.